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by Thatonegothynerd



Series: Adventures of The Scarred [3]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Dungeons & Dragons Campaign, F/M, Nightmares, Original Character(s), Romance, Self-Doubt, Tieflings, reunited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 23:59:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17253818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatonegothynerd/pseuds/Thatonegothynerd
Summary: The two and a half months Dragomir has been gone has been rough on Avarice, and working at the Hellfire's embrace doesn't make it any easier. But when Dragomir returns Avarice is so happy she could burst, but can he help keep her terrible nightmare at bay?





	Back

It was a slow day at Hellfire’s Embrace, but Avarice didn’t mind. She had spent a good part of the morning helping some dwarven men who kept trying to convince her to get in the bath with them, saying, “A pretty thing like you deserves to relax. C’mon and join us, we don’t bite, unless that’s what you want.” She didn’t mind them calling her pretty, but their futile attempts at flirting with her got annoying, plus they were all filthy from some expedition they were returning from. After the men had left, it was then her job to clean out the tub, which, strange as it seems, she also didn’t mind. Sometimes cleaning was easier than dealing with men who just viewed her as some kind of fetish or sex object. She had just finished with the tub when she heard two people enter. She knew Vanity was working the front today. She was a tiefling (as all of them were) with flawless fire red skin that looked radiant against her raven hair and yellow cat eyes that were mesmerizing under a set of heavy dark lashes. She was absolutely gorgeous, and she knew it.

“Hello, we would like a bath,” A familiar voice, Immerel, said from the front.

“Oh back again? Would you like the same thing as last -” Vanity started.

“I’ve only been here once before, with my group. I would like a bath again though,” Immerel interrupted. He had been back to the baths a few times in the past two months, often enjoying a massage as well.

“Okay, honey. And what about you, handsome? Care for a massage?” She purred. Avarice had no idea who Immeral would bring with him here. She didn’t think Tal would be interested and she definitely didn’t think Kel would come back. 

“Just a bath, please,” a new voice responded. Avarice froze. She couldn’t be hearing correctly. 

“Alright handsome, suit yourself. You know, those red eyes really are gorgeous, and with those muscles? I bet you have all the women swooning,” Vanity replied. 

He was back. After two and a half months of waiting and worrying, he was back. And he was about to see her here. There was only a split second to decide, so she ran. Avarice ran to the supply room and hid from the one person she wanted to see most in the world. But, she knew that if she saw Dragomir she would lose all her composure. She would run to him and then Jezabeth would know, she would have leverage. Jezabeth knew she was traveling with a group before her employment, but she didn’t know the intricacies of her relationships with them, and she wanted to keep it that way. She didn’t want to give that bitch any more than she already had. 

However, that wasn’t what really drove Avarice in a sprint back into the supply room. No, what was driving her was her shame. She couldn’t let Dragomir see her working here. How many times had she talked about how much she hated Hellfire’s Embrace? Or how much she hated Jezabeth? And now here she was, working with her, working  _ for  _ her, cleaning baths and giving massages.  Her pride wouldn’t let her be seen like this. She remembered the day after Immerel came in and saw her; she got so drunk that she couldn’t remember the night, but Toby told her she challenged a paladin to a fight after calling his religion and god bullshit. Apparently, Toby had to carry her back up to her room kicking and screaming about how she was going to “kick this guy’s ass just watch.” No, Dagomir couldn’t see her here like this. So, Avarice sat in the supply room between bags of bath soaks and imported soaps trying not to have a panic attack. She prayed to whatever gods were listening that she wouldn’t have to go out there for the duration of their visit.

A few moments later Vanity walked in to grab supplies, giving Avarice a very confused look upon seeing her hiding spot.

“Hey there are two guys in bath five, one of them is that regular elf guy. Do you want to take this one so I can get back to the front? And are you okay?” Vanity asked.

“Yeah, I uh, I just need a minute,” Avarice responded, trying her best to slow her rapid breathing. “Is there any way you could cover this one? I recognize those guys and they aren’t the biggest fans of me.” The lie came easily.

“Do you need me to kick them out?” Vanity’s eyes narrowed, “Because if they caused you any trouble-”

“No. No. I’d just rather not see them is all. They won’t cause any problems.”

“Okay. I’ll let you know when they’re gone.” Vanity smiled at the other girl. 

“Thanks, and uh, Vanity? Don’t give them a massage, even if they ask.” She didn’t want any of the other girls putting a hand on Dragomir, no matter how nice they were currently being.

“Of course sweetie. If you need anything just let me know okay? We have to stick together, you know? Take care of our own.” Vanity’s snake fang smile did nothing to calm Avarice’s frayed nerves, but she nodded in appreciation anyway. 

...

It was nearly two hours later by the time Avarice got the all clear from Vanity. At that point it was almost time for her to leave for the evening, so, after seeing if there was anything else that needed to be done, Avarice quickly changed out of her bath house “uniform” and into her normal clothing, grateful for the coverage. She made her way out of the business and into the crowd as she headed home to The Bloody Champion. 

As she opened the establishment’s door, her heart stopped. There he was, sitting at the bar, at long last. When the door opened, he had turned towards the sound, and a smile spread across his face. All of the composure she had fought so hard for at Hellfire’s Embrace was gone. He barely had time to stand up before she ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. There were tears threatening the corners of her eyes when he wrapped his arms around her too. 

“I’ve missed you too, Princess,” he said, neither one of them moving.

Avarice laughed, and without breaking the embrace replied, “Princess? I like that. A knight and a princess, the perfect pairing.”

A noise of disgust sounded from next to them. “Don’t you have a room you can go to? Some of us aren’t interested in seeing your romantic escapades,” Immerel said.

Avarice finally broke her hold on Dragomir to flip Immerel off. 

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be boring and old?” Avarice replied.

Immerel mumbled to himself about how he couldn’t wait to outlive them, and went over to an empty table on the other end of the room. 

Avarice finally really looked at Dragomir. His beard had grown substantially and the white had encroached on more of his dark hair, but his beautiful crimson eyes were exactly the same. Avarice smiled at him, until she noticed a new scar, and then another, and another. Her smile fell. Dragomir noticed her gaze and grinned sheepishly. 

“Ah, yeah. I had a bit of a run in with an undead giant.”

“A giant. How many of you fought it?” Avarice was stunned. 

“Just me,” he responded. 

“Just you.” She really didn’t know what to say to that. In her stories it sometimes took dozens of men to take down giants, but he had done it alone. She felt like asking him if he had some kind of death wish, but then decided she really didn’t want the answer to that question. 

Dragomir told her about what he had been doing while he was away. How he had headed north and fought various monsters, winning all of the fights, but sometimes getting hurt along the way. She could tell he was downplaying the danger and injuries for her sake, but she was still wracked with guilt. This was her fault. If she hadn’t gone to Vasily alone he wouldn’t have lost control and needed to leave. Even then, she never should have let him go alone; he got reckless when he was alone. 

After he was done with his story, he asked Avarice what she had been doing.

“Immerel told me about where you’ve been working and who for,” he admitted. 

She made a note that Immerel would pay for that later, and told Dragomir it was better if they spoke upstairs about what she had been up to. They ascended the stairs and went to her room where she proceeded to tell him, in extremely vague terms, what she had been up to. She loved him, but she didn’t want to put him in danger by giving him too much information. 

The two stayed up talking until they were both exhausted. Avarice went to clean herself off before she slept, and when she returned Dragomir was already fast asleep. 

Avarice got into bed and prepared for the nightmare she knew was coming.  It had visited her every night without fail, unless she drank herself into oblivion. Tonight she had abstained, and now she was going to pay the price. She closed her eyes and embraced the darkness and the fear.

...

The nightmare started out as a memory: She was in a bed much more stiff and with scratchier sheets than the one she currently had at The Bloody Champion, lying awake far later than she should have been, when she heard a soft knocking at the window. She got up from her bed and went towards the sound, sparing a glance for Tal quietly meditating, Kel like a corpse on the ground, and Dragomir softly snoring in the bed next to her. When she looked out the window there he stood, softly asking her to let him in. His snow-white skin, baby blue eyes, and curly blond ringlets made him look like an angel under the moonlight. Vasily smiled at her, only unlike in her memory, it was a real smile, a genuine one she had never seen him wear. His eyes were kind and soft, like the ice that usually resided there had melted. Avarice opened the window without hesitation. Vasily took her hand, giving it a gentle kiss and spoke to her in hushed tones.

“I’ve missed you, my Bella. You left me. You left me and I was so sad that you were gone. Stay with me, Bella. Stay with me, because I love you,” His voice was more genuine than she had ever heard it, not full of empty promises and lies. He reached for her and she held him tightly. 

“I’m so sorry, my love. I’m so, so sorry. I love you so much.” There were tears in her eyes as she spoke. She meant every word.

“Bella,” he said, pulling her back ever so slightly, “would you kiss me? I love you.”

And unlike in the memory, she did. She kissed him and her life finally felt like it could be good again. Like things could go back to the way they were, where she could love Vasily and he could love her. It was the first real moment of peace she had since the day she left Drynna. 

Then she felt cold steel in her gut. Vasily’s dagger stuck in her right where it had the night she tried to kill him. She looked up in shock at Vasily to see dead eyes and a chilling smile on his face.

“On Bella,” all of the warmth had drained from his voice, “you’re such a stupid naive girl, aren’t you? Did you really think I could love you? That anyone could love you? Just look at yourself. You’re pathetic and weak.”

Avarice looked around in panic; Kel and Tal were gone, but there was still Dragomir. She crawled over to his bed, pain shooting through every part of her body as the poison from the blade coursed through her. She pulled herself up and reached for the sheet. She pulled it back; there was only an empty suit of armor in the bed. Vasily laughed, a cold and heartless laugh that sent shivers up Avarice’s spine. 

“You think your knight is going to save you? After you chose me?” He looked down on her as she tried to crawl to the door. “Why should he? He knows I’ll never leave you. You’ll never be safe.”

Avarice knew there was no way she would make it out of this room alive. She had chosen Vasily, and it had cost her everything. As a last ditch effort, she reached for her dagger, hoping she could at least go down with a fight, but Vasily was faster. He grabbed her by the hair, lifting her upward. She screamed in pain as she was pulled to her knees. 

“You always wanted your prince, Bella. Now you have him. Was it worth it, my love?” Vasily smiled as he drove his dagger into Avarice’s heart. 

…

Avarice woke up to hands on her shoulders and she screamed.

“Shhhh. Avarice, it’s me. Its okay it’s just me.”

She blinked a few times and finally saw that it wasn’t Vasily in front of her, ready to kill, but a very concerned and sleepy looking Dragomir. She was in her bed at The Bloody Champion, Vasily was dead, Dragomir was here.

“Are you okay?” Dragomir asked. “You were talking in your sleep, but then you started yelling. What happened?”

She didn’t respond. She simply cried. She cried over months of terror. She cried over her own conflicted feelings. She cried over the pain she felt. She just cried in Dragomir’s arms while he told her she was safe, that he was there. She cried until she couldn’t cry anymore and sleep overcame her again. But for the first time in months, stone sober, she slipped into a blissfully dreamless sleep. For the first time in months, asleep in Dragomir’s arms, she felt safe. 

**Author's Note:**

> All characters belong to their respective players. I do not claim to own Dragomir, Kel, Tal, or Immerel.


End file.
